Friday, 18 September 2015

Originally debuting in the pages of Superman’s Pal Jimmy Olsen back in 1970, few would have predicted
that Darkseid would one day ascend to the position of BIG BAD in the DC
Universe. He’s survived being thrown into the Source Wall by Superman, having
some of his thunder stolen by (acknowledged)
knock-off Thanos – and perhaps worst of all, a terrible
leotard costume!

I can’t pretend to be an expert on Darkseid. My familiarity
stems with him mostly from the mid-00s Superman/Batman
series and the first story arc of the New 52 Justice League. I wasn’t terribly aware of him as a child…I think
he mostly kind of inhabited the New Gods/Fourth World stories until the 1980s,
when he and the other characters from the series were enfolded into the wider
DC Universe, largely through the seminal Super Powers toy line.

Fortunately Funko have gone with his tunic look, as opposed
to the leotard. I didn’t really like his sculpt when he was first released, as
he was pretty distinct from the usual Funko style – a little too distinct. But
a couple of years on, Funko have released such a diverse group of sculpts that
it doesn’t look so out of place any more. It’s much more detailed than you
might expect; though the helmet and tunic are smooth and undetailed, the face
and limbs are all sculpted with the cracked rock look that has been one of his
signatures since early days.

Now let’s get to paint – the traditional weak point when it
comes to POPs. Well, paint is actually quite good! Especially considering that
this guy was first released back in about 2013, when Funko was just starting to
move beyond the fuzziness that plagues so many of its older (and some of its
current) figures. The grey and blue colour scheme, combined with the red eyes,
really pops on the shelf.

There are two versions of Darkseid available – this one and
a glow in the dark version. The GitD version looks near identical. It sells for
considerably more, going off eBay, but it’s not as outrageously extravagant as
some of the GitD POPs out there. Had I known there was a glow version available
previously, I might have tried to track it down – but to be honest, this is a
really great POP whichever version you get. It’s really sold me on a character
I’ve never been terribly familiar with and made me want to read more.

Thursday, 17 September 2015

Minifigures Series 14 had an official release date of
September 2015, but as is often the case they began showing up earlier in the
US and UK. Well, now they’ve made their ways to the sunny shores of Sydney, and
you can read my take on them, starting with Part
One and Part
Two.

In this instalment, I take a look at the three zombie
figures that have been included as part of this series. The Monster Rocker has
been slotted in here as he’s kind of
a zombie too.

Zombie Pirate

Looking like some sort of refugee from the Pirates of the Caribbean series of
films, the Zombie Pirate was a must-buy due to my love for all things Lego Pirates. All the stereotypical pirate
elements are in place – hook hand, eyepatch and peg leg, but they’ve been
nicely supplemented with a ragged, decaying coat and gigantic sword. He was a
captain in life, and now in death too.

The only real downside is that I am not particularly fond of
this guy’s beard-piece. It works well for conveying a hillbilly look, but it
seems unnecessary here. I’m just as content to display him without it, which
gives him a menacing side-burned look. He’s not as good as the Pirate Captain
from Series 8, but he is pretty great nonetheless.

Zombie Businessman

There is nothing particularly appealing about being a
zombie. While I can see why people might like the idea of being a vampire,
werewolf or some other supernatural creature, a zombie (at least the modern
conception we have of one) does little more than lumber around, consumer human
flesh and eventually rot away.

But the Zombie Businessman is particularly depressing.
Presumably some kind of mid-level executive during life, in undeath he
continues going to the office every day to make sure the bills get paid. Bedecked
in his tattered business suit, he looks more befuddled than menacing. It’s
surprisingly endearing for an undead, shambling corpse.

His accessories rank as some of the best in the series – a
suitcase (which opens up and would be great for any number of other
minifigures) and a newspaper (The Zombie Times, whose headline reads simply
“BRAAAINS”). I hope we see a few more colour variants of this guy in the
future.

Zombie Cheerleader

I just don’t know about this one. I’ve got the previous
cheerleaders released under the minifigures banner, and they were kind of
endearing. This one just seems a little weird. I think it’s the missing tooth.
I get that she’s a zombie and all, but it just throws her whole look out for
me. She’s probably my least favourite of Series 14, but she’s still several
cuts above the weak spots of other series. Fun but not essential.

Monster Rocker

Oh wow, this guy is amazing! The Monster was one of the best
minifigures back in Series 4, so it’s great to see a new version of him now.
And he is ready to rock!

Lego’s market research team has obviously concluded that rockabilly/punkabilly/psychobilly/punk rock fans make up a big chunk of their
market and are now releasing sets to cater to that niche group of buyers. Fantastic.
He’s adorned in denim, a studded belt, with a padlock necklace hanging from his
neck...best of all, he’s got a back patch on his jacket reading “Shock and
Roll”. Last but not least, he’s equipped with a red, bat decorated guitar (or
bass, the choice is yours). Now I just hope we get more not-Universal Monsters
rendered in this style. It would be incredible to have a full band line-up. One of the best minifigures Lego has done,
full stop.

On another note…

Right now, it’s pretty easy to be a bit burnt out on
zombies. Since 28 Days Later and Dawn of the Dead brought them back to
the big screen just over a decade ago, zombies have penetrated through the
mainstream and become ubiquitous in a way that I think few would have
predicted. So much so that it’s pretty easy to feel burnt out on the whole
thing. Lego is obviously riding a larger cultural trend here, but
these are refreshingly fun additions to the existing plethora of zombie
merchandise out there.

Thursday, 10 September 2015

Minifigures Series 14 had an official release date of
September 2015, but as is often the case they began showing up earlier in the
US and UK. Well, now they’ve made their ways to the sunny shores of Sydney, and
you can read my take on them, starting here.

This series is subtitled “Monsters”, designed to tie in with
Halloween. Well, Halloween decorations often don’t show up in stores till
midway through October in Australia, but I think these will be a hit
nonetheless.

Fly Monster

Horror films often end up being marketed to kids. Nightmare on Elm St is a classic example
– in spite of a being a film about a murderer who started his career murdering
children, there was a huge amount of
merch in the 1980s which was targeted at kids. Dolls, costumes, young adult
novels, collectables – the list goes on, and it seems kind of weird in
hindsight. Of course, this was also the decade that Rambo and RoboCop were
turned into kid’s cartoons, so go figure.

I was really looking forward to this figure, but I don’t
think he turned out quite as well as I was hoping. Part of the problem is just
because he’s so dark – there’s some nice green fur detailing, but the rest of
him is a little too plain. Still, the head is nicely executed, and it would be
pretty easy to make a custom that more or less matched the
appearance of the original film, if you have a spare scientist minifig
about. Fun, but not as fun as I’d hoped.

Plant Monster

Now this guy is really cool! The backstory for this figure
is that the plant is some kind of minifigure-eating creature – it goes around
swallowing minifigures, then spits them out after a day or two. Which is why
the guy inside looks so frightened – he’s trapped in a leafy mass!

The paint and accessories attempt to convey this impression
via a plain green body, with vine printing that curls around the front and back
of the body. Vine pieces are clicked into the character’s hands, presumably
trying to give the impression of an assassin vine
or something. I suppose the other obvious touchpoint is Audrey II, from Little Shop of Horrors, though I’ve
never actually watched any of its various iterations.

Given that his headpiece looks to be an entirely new mould,
I’d be surprised if it doesn’t get used again…possibly as some kind of
henchplant for Poison Ivy?We can
only hope!

Gargoyle

Series 14 doesn’t have much in the way of army builders –
but if there’s one character that lends itself to multiples, it’s the Gargoyle. Gargoyles adorn countless buildings all over the world.
Traditionally associated with churches, they served both superstitious (they
were thought to frighten off evil spirits) and practical functions (they were
also there to funnel off excess water, effectively functioning as downpipes).

But in a Lego sense, they’re ideal for anyone who bought the
Vampyre Castle or the Haunted House from the 2012 Monster Fighters theme – these guys are the perfect decoration to
add an extra touch of Gothic ambience to those buildings. Dark grey paint apps on a light grey body give the
impression of a monstrous beast carved from stone. He’s been given the short
legs, apparently to imitate the crouched stance of real gargoyles, but I think
that’s a bit of a shame – it would have been great to see one stretched to full
size.

Nonetheless, the Gargoyle is an excellent minifigure. His
horned helmet looks to be a new piece – my tip is that we’ll either get a lot
more gargoyles in very short succession, or we’ll get satyrs in the next round
of Castle! Either way, I’d be pretty
happy about that.

Werewolf

There have been a disproportionately high number of
werewolves released by Lego over the last few years. First of all, we got the Wolfman-styled one back in Series 4,
then another one that was a little more Dog
Soldiers as part of the Monster
Fighters theme in 2012. But I’m not complaining! The more werewolves we get
from Lego, the happier I’ll be.

One interesting little detail is that this werewolf is
apparently the same Lumberjack who appeared back in Series 5. Look at his shirt
and nametag – it’s him! This must be one of the first times that the same
character has reappeared in a different guise. No doubt customisers with access
to a few of each figure will make some kind of transformation diorama – if you
find one, post the link here, I’d love to see it.

This one follows the same style as the Monster Fighters one, using a similar yet different head. But for
the first time, he has a tail! I believe this part debuted for Rocket Raccoon
in the Guardians of the Galaxy sets
that were released last year. It’s cast in softer plastic, almost like a
rubber, and works pointed both up and down. Very, very cool – this was the
figure I was most looking forward to from the range; while I wouldn’t say it
turned out as my favourite, it's definitely one of the best figures in the series.

Sunday, 6 September 2015

Minifigures Series 14 had an official release date of
September 2015, but as is often the case they began showing up earlier in the
US and UK. Well, now they’ve made their ways to the sunny shores of Sydney, and
you can read my take on them.

This series is subtitled “Monsters”, designed to tie in with
Halloween. I’m curious to see how it sells over here – anecdotal reports
suggest it’s selling gangbusters in the US and UK, but while Halloween is getting
bigger, it’s still not an especially huge occasion over here. Trick-or-treating
was unusual when I was a kid, though it seems to have taken off in the last few
years.

Specter

Serving as an ominous reminder of our own mortality, the
spectre is a surprisingly gloomy topic for Lego to tackle – but they have been
making ghosts for years, so I suppose it’s not that shocking. Bedecked in a hooded robe and loud clanking chains, this one
dispenses with the traditional legs. It instead uses a new piece which was introduced
with this year’s Ninjago theme – a kind
of smoke-waft, which gives the illusion of a hovering ghost while still
providing adequate support to stand. It’s cast in semi-translucent plastic,
which adds nicely to the effect. Regular readers will be well aware of my
fixation on glow in the dark items, so I was extremely pleased to discover that
his face does in fact glow in the dark too!

Tiger Woman

Though she’s obviously meant to be a woman in a Halloween
cat costume, one of the good things about Minifigures is the way they can be
used as backdoor characters for other settings too. So she could also serve as
Tigra from Marvel Comics, or at a bit more of a stretch, as Cheetah – Wonder
Woman’s archnemesis.

She’s a fun figure, and I can see her being one of the rarer/more
expensive figures as time goes on – these human-animal costumed characters tend
to be incredibly popular.

Wacky Witch

I’ve never been all that enamoured of the pop culture
version of witches; Suspiria was
pretty entertaining, but they’ve never impressed themselves on my consciousness
in the same way as other horror archetypes.

Nonetheless, as cartoon witches go, this one is fine. She
reminded me a bit of Witch Hazel from Looney Tunes at first glance, though on
close inspection the only real similarity is the purple dress. The best part
about her is probably her cat. The cat is black, as one would expect, and has also
been rendered with a frowny face – it’s a fun little accessory for just about
any Lego scene, though would work particularly well for Catwoman. She’s not as
cool as the one in Series 2, but is very Halloweeny.

Skeleton Guy

This is easily one of my favourites out of the entire series.
Explicitly described as a guy who wears a costume to fit in with the Monsters,
he is excellently executed. And as this is a minifigure of a guy wearing a suit, you can
swap out pretty much any head you want, for when he’s un-costumed!

His trick-or-treat basket is particularly cool. Decorated as a jack o' lantern, it's another item that you could hand off to pretty much anyone if you felt like making a Halloween display. I knew he'd be cool, but I didn't expect to like him this much.

Thursday, 3 September 2015

At its core, X-Men is really a (very extended) story about people who feel
like they don’t fit in. All of us can relate to this at some level – especially
during our teenage years. And while pretty much every character who’s passed
through the X-Men fits this archetype in one form another, few typify it better
than Beast, aka Hank McCoy.

Beast started life in the comics as a guy who seemed to have
the mutant ability of just looking a bit weird and monkey-esque. Honestly, if
you read those first few issues of the 1960s X-Men comic, you probably wouldn’t
even notice that Beast was a mutant. He was freakishly athletic
and strong, which actually sounds pretty awesome. To give this a little more
visual pizzazz, the First Class movie
gave him ape-like feet.

In his filmic incarnation, for some reason he decided that his incredibly helpful abilities were excluding him from everyday life, and so he
developed a “cure” to neutralise his mutant gene. Unfortunately, it didn’t
work, and actually turned him furry and blue. It was incredibly depressing for
someone who just wanted to “fit in”. There’s a moral here – namely, don’t worry
too much if you’re out of step with the mainstream, because people will
appreciate you for you are anway. And people who don’t are not the sort of people
you want to try to impress. You’ll only make yourself unhappy in the process.

The comics story isn’t quite as depressing. Beast developed
a serum that allowed anyone to become a mutant for a short period of time. He
used it to disguise his appearance, but left it too long and was permanently
transformed as a result – initially with grey fur, but later blue.

This Beast POP was first released in 2013, but now seems to
be showing up all over the place in Sydney again, as do his wavemates Silver
Surfer and Deadpool. Ghost Rider, Phoenix/Dark Phoenix and Dr Doom don’t seem
to be turning up with the same regularity though. Maybe it’s a Sony and Marvel
not getting along thing – who knows? Funko’s distribution/re-release schedule is
frequently mysterious.

Beast is sculpted with his classic blue Wolverine hair look,
complete with massive sideburns. I’m sure someone has already used this head
for an unmasked Wolverine custom – Wolverine does get drawn with slight fangs
from time to time. Beast is also a brilliant scientist, often depicted with
glasses to emphasise his genius. Glasses = smart just about everywhere you go.
This POP skips that, but in hindsight I’m surprised they didn’t do a paint
variant or convention exclusive that incorporated them. I’m sure clever
customisers have already done it, too.

Likewise, it’s surprising that there wasn’t a grey paint
variant, to capture his early look. But there is one other version of him
floating around – a flocked version put out by Gemini Collectibles. eBay
suggests it’s at least a couple of hundred dollars for one, so if you’re keen
to track one down…

Blue furry dude in a Speedo does not sound like a recipe for
a good character, but Beast is actually a really fun…ko POP. He’s an essential
addition to any X-Men or Avengers collection.